Aggressive Incentives Help Spain Remain Major Production Destination

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – For years, Spain has been a hot spot for international productions. Its arid landscapes have long served as backdrops for Westerns. In more modern times, popular shows like “Game of Thrones” have found a home in its sunny locations. For added allure, the Spanish government offers a 20% national tax rebate for international productions. Other incentives include a 35% tax credit in Navarra and a whopping 40% tax rebate in the Canary Islands.

The cap per project is 3 million euros, or approximately $3.5 million. Productions must spend a minimum of 1 million euros, or about $1.17 million, in . The country imposes a compensation cap of 100,000 euros, or about $117,000, on creative staff with a domicile in Spain or another European Union country.

The tradition of shooting American westerns in Spain dates back to Clint Eastwood spaghetti classics such as “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), “For a Few Dollars More” (1965) and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966).

Notable recent Productions in Spain include “Wonder Woman 1984” (2019), “Rambo 5” (2019), “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018), “The Sisters Brothers” (2018), “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), “Geostorm” (2017), “Jason Bourne” (2016) and “Game of Thrones” (2011 to present).

Courtesy of the Production Incentives Team at Entertainment Partners .